The Desert King
by psychgirl429
Summary: A chronicle of Ganondorf's life from birth up until the end of Ocarina of Time. A tragic look at what happens before the events of the game and what we don't get to see behind the scenes during the game. Includes drama, romance, and some humor.
1. Chapter 1 Humble Beginnings

**I am a new writer. I've written things here and there but never stuck with anything. This is an idea I've had for a long time now. I've always been fascinated with the Gerudo in the Legend of Zelda games and I'm very interested in how their culture would work. I decided to write a chronicle of Ganondorf's life from a sympathetic point of view, trying to explain why he did the evil things that he's done. I written quite a bit of it already but I'm not going to post it all at once. Probably a chapter weekly. Here is the first chapter and I must say that it's not my favorite part of what I wrote so far, so in my opinion, it does get better. Thanks for reading!**

On the edge of a vast desert, lies a small fortress built into the side of the cliff. A cry of a newborn baby coud be heard throughout the fortress. Having birthed the newborn child, a midwife held it in her arms and said, "Oh she is beautiful, Mahala…She's so…wait…she is a he!"

"What are you talking about? Let me see my baby!" Mahala gasps. The midwife handed the baby boy over to Mahala. "There you are…" she cooed to the baby and held him close to nurse.

"This is him!" the midwife exclaims. "This is the baby we've been waiting for!" Other Gerudo women present began whispering to each other.

"That can't be," Mahala said. "The Goddess of the Sand chose…me?"

"She must have! There's no mistaking it! That babe is our next king!" The midwife says. The whispering stopped. The other Gerudo in the room began to bow to the baby in Mahala's arms.

"W-what does this mean? How am I supposed to raise a king?" Mahala asked.

"We must show Aurero at once!" the midwife said.

"Aurero? But I don't think she will like the news that her rule is nearing its end," one of the Gerudo say. "She was hoping the next Gerudo male would be born into her family."

"Hmm…you may have a point," the midwife said. "But she's going to have to know eventually."

"What about Koume and Kotake? They are the only ones in the village who's lived through…several…generations of kings. They'll know how to properly introduce the young prince," another Gerudo said.

"Good idea," the midwife said. "Can you make the journey to the Desert Colossus? I must stay here with Mahala and make sure there's no complications with the baby."

"Yes, ma'am," the young girl said and then left.

"My baby a p-prince?" Mahala said, still not quite grasping what was happening.

The baby was cleaned up and swaddled. Word traveled quickly around the village about the birth of the male Gerudo, for others crept by the small corner of Gerudo fortress that Mahala had made her home in order to see "proof" of the new king.

"Please! Leave the child alone! The mother needs her rest!" the midwife exclaimed as she shooed curious onlookers from the room."

All of a sudden a raspy voice filled the room. "So appears the girl was telling the truth, Koume," the disembodied voice said.

"Indeed, Kotake."

There is a flash of light and the two ancient Gerudo witches materialized in front of them. Their hair was as white as snow. They were both hunched over to the point they were half the size of the younger women in the room and their skin was so wrinkled it looked like it was melting off of them. Koume and Kotake were the oldest Gerudo in the village. Not only that, but they were they only ones blessed with magic. Usually, only the King of the Gerudo was gifted with magic. However, there were several rumors as to why Koume and Kotake both possessed them as well. Some say they were granted powers by one of the previous kings to whom they were both married to. Others say they made a deal with a demon in order to gain their magic. Others still, say they were born with their magic, blessed by the Goddess of the Sand so that each generation of kings would have someone alive to teach them how to hone their skills. No one knew for sure and the witches weren't telling. "Well, girl," one of them addressed Mahala, impatiently. "Let us see this 'Gerudo Male'!"

Mahala did as she was told. She removed the bundle of blankets and held the babe out for the witches to see. The witches were silent for a moment and then looked at each other. "So it appears that on this day the future Gerudo king is born," Kotake said.

"Yes, Kotake, this is something special indeed."

"So what do I do?" Mahala asked withdrawing her baby close to her chest. "I don't know anything about being the ruler of the Gerudo tribe. How can I raise a king?"

The witches cackled. "Of course you don't, dear! Look at the state of your clothes!" Kotake said.

Koume cleared her throat. "Ahem…well don't worry, dear. Leave that to us. No doubt he will develop the ability to use magic just like other kings before him. We will teach him how to hone his arcane abilities."

"He will learn Gerudo and Hyrulean history and our ancient language. And we will have the best Gerudo warriors teach him the art of swordplay," Kotake continued.

"What about Aurero? She is the exalted leader of the Gerudo." Mahala said.

"Aurero is the great-granddaughter of the last Gerudo King, Gunorarm." Kotake said.

"But that dynasty is now over," Kotake added. "The Gerudo King can be born to any Gerudo, even yourself."

Mahala was still in disbelief, but looking down at the babe, she could tell he was destined for greatness, regardless of who his mother is.

"So girl, tell us," Koume asked impatiently. "What do we call our new King?"

Mahala paused for a second. She had been thinking about it today, since she had not prepared a male name. She did remember the names of some of the ancient kings and settled on a name that stuck out in her mind. "Ganondorf" she stated. "Ganondorf Dragmire."

Pretty soon, word had spread through the entire village that a male Gerudo was born to Mahala Dragmire and that it was rumored that the Duzatan dynasty was over. Mahala feared the reactions of House Duzetan and stayed to herself out of fear harm would come to her baby. Koume and Kotake told her they would formally announce the arrival of the young prince. However, day after day went by without a word. Mahala got some curious looks around the village and heard whispering behind her back but, luckily, no one else asked to see Ganondorf for themselves after his birth.

Finally, after a fortnight, the two witches appeared out of thin air in the center of the village and called with their magical disembodied voices for all Gerudo to listen.

"You may have heard these past couple of weeks that a Gerudo male has been born within the tribe. We can now tell you these rumors were true. Mahala! Bring the young prince forth and everyone bow to your future king, Ganondorf!"

Mahala went outside to find other Gerudo emerging from the adobe style fortress with confused expressions on their faces. Before anyone noticed her, she heard an angry voice ring out.

"What is the meaning of this?!" A young woman adorned regally with jewelry and long red hair pulled back in a ponytail stormed forth from the fortress and walked steadfastly toward the witches.

"I'm sorry, Aurero but it is true," Kotake said, although there was no hint of sympathy in her voice. It almost sounded like she was holding back laughter.

"House Duzatan has ruled for the Gerudo for…"Aurero began.

"One hundred years!" Koume retorted. "Ever since your great-grandfather was born and was crowned king!"

"We were there! Have you forgotten that we are over three hundred years old?!" Kotake exclaimed.

Aurero appeared angry but at this she stepped down. She knew the witches could cast dark magic and did not want to anger them. "Very well, let us see this new king!"

"Mahala! Bring him forth!" Koume commanded

The Gerudo around Mahala finally noticed her presence and parted to let her pass. At this point, she was in direct eyesight of Aurero.

Aurero laughed. "Mahala! You?!" Mahala stepped forward cautiously. The witches nodded for her to lay the baby down on the pedestal they had erected at the center of the village for everyone to see. As she lay him down the witches began to unwrap the blankets that swaddled the baby.

"I-I don't want to disrobe him," Mahala said quickly. She was embarrassed that her child was being put on display like an animal. The witches ignored her. The baby started to cry and Mahala bit her lip. There were some wide eyes and gasps from the crowd as it was revealed the baby was indeed male. Some women in the back were squinting and standing on their toes to get a good look at the baby's sex. The Gerudo in the front began to bow and eventually those in the back got the idea and bowed as well.

Aurero did not bow but seemed stricken at how quickly she lost the will of her subjects. "And what kind of king will he be if he cannot even fight?!" she hissed at Mahala. "Mahala is no warrior like me and my kin! The Goddess should have chosen my cousin, Nealefe, as the bearer of our future king! Not a simple pig farmer!" she yelled to the crowd.

Mahala hung her head in shame. Koume and Kotake, however, appeared livid.

"You dare question the decisions of our Goddess!" they yelled together.

Aurero was taken aback by their anger. Perhaps she had forgotten that Koume and Kotake along with some of the other Gerudo elders still aptly worshipped the Goddess of the Sand. The younger generation of Gerudo were not so religious. If asked, they would answer they believed in the deity, but they no longer made pilgrimages to the temple which had long fallen to ruin. Years of their prayers being unanswered made the Gerudo simply lose faith in their deity.

Aurero realized she had said the wrong thing, however. "Of course not," Aurero stated. "I'm sure the Goddess has her reasons. I was just questioning as to why she wouldn't choose a warrior to bear the king." She whispered under her breath so that only Mahala could hear, "Perhaps she wants our leader to be more like a boar than a thief."

"Oh you're just jealous because your child wasn't born with a p-!" Kotake started but was cut off by Koume addressing the crowd.

"Will you not honor your future king?! We shall have this day to honor the great Ganondorf's birth and bring him gifts!"

Aurero looked livid at this point. "Don't worry," Koume stated. "Your time of ruling is not over. The boy will henceforth be known as our Prince until his 18th birthday. Then you must relinquish your title and bestow upon him the title of the King of Thieves."

"You'll be ready to retire by then anyway," Kotake added.

"And what of my daughter?" Aurero spat. "Her nobility is stripped and she is going to grow up to be a commoner!"

"If she is lucky," Koume interjected. "Maybe she'll be one of the great Ganondorf's wives." The witches both cackled. Aurero, looking furious, stormed away. Mahala saw her chance and grabbed the baby to quell his crying.

"Hush little one," she whispered, as she wrapped him back up to protect him from the unforgiving desert sun.

A makeshift shelter was set up and baby Ganondorf was laid in a cradle of the softest fabrics the fortress had to offer. Throughout the rest of the day, the Gerudo came to give their gifts to the newborn king. The Gerudo offered gold, jewels, and fabrics made from fine silks they had stolen from the neighboring province known as Hyrule. Whatever resources their desert may have had was mined clean long ago. As per Gerudo tradition, the metals and fabrics that were stolen from Hyrule were reworked by Gerudo blacksmiths and tailors to reflect their own unique culture and then sold to those living in the village. Although Ganondorf was given nicer things than the average Gerudo, it was still not very much. It reflected the poor state of his country.


	2. Chapter 2 Trial by Fire and Ice

**Here it is, earlier than expected. I'm just so anxious to get to the meat and potatoes of this story.**

The next few years went by more normally than Mahala expected. The witches left her alone to care for her baby boy. She had the help of other Gerudo, of course. Many of them wanted to get a chance to spend time with young prince. For the first few years of his life, Ganondorf was surrounded by other Gerudo women who would make sure all his needs were being met. Mahala also found herself being escorted by the guards wherever she and Ganondorf went. There was no written rule about it, the guards just seemed to think it was their duty to make sure the young prince was safe. Mahala appreciated the extra security but it was going to take some getting used to.

When young Ganondorf was four years old, he began to show signs of his magic. One day, he accidently caught Mahala's bed roll on fire. Although she couldn't be sure it was magic, the young prince was too small to reach any of the torches. She ran into the room to find Ganondorf standing proudly before the flames. Panic stricken, the thrust him aside and beat out the fire with blankets.

Another time, he had used force magic on her while she was trying to catch him to discipline him for letting her wild boars loose. Mahala had chased him into a corner. He put his hand up to shield himself when she was unexpectedly knocked to the ground by an unseen force. He saw his chance and took off, thinking he had gotten away, until he ran headlong into a guard who scooped him up and brought him back to his mother.

"The Prince is a feisty one!" she said with a laugh as she handed him back to Mahala.

It wasn't long after these instances that Mahala was visited by Koume and Kotake. "We heard that the young majesty is developing his powers," they said with amused expressions on their faces.

"Who told you that?" Mahala asked.

"We've have ways of knowing things," the witches responded. Mahala shuddered. She didn't want to think they've been spying on her using magic.

"It is time to begin his training," Koume stated.

"Already?!" Mahala said incredulously. "He's only four years old!"

"What is it, Mommy?" Ganondorf ran up beside her and grabbed her hand.

Mahala picked him up. "Why does he have to start now?" Mahala asked the witches.

"Magic is difficult to learn. One must start young if they are going to be adept at it," Kotake stated.

"Foolish girl! He is a king! Don't you want your king to be powerful?!" Koume snapped.

"Yes, but…" Mahala stopped. She looked down at the young boy in her arms who was looking determinedly back at her. She knew that she was going to have to sacrifice her time with him so he could get all the training required of a king. "Very well…when does he begin?"

"Tomorrow. Bring him to the Spirit Temple first thing in the morning."

"But he's too young to go through the Haunted Wasteland!" Mahala yelled.

"If he can't face hardship, he can't be a king!" the witches yelled backed.

"I can do it, Mommy!" Ganondorf smiled widely at her. "I'll work really hard to learn how to do magic and be a good king!"

Mahala sighed. "We'll be there."

The next morning Mahala and young Ganondorf made their way out of the fortress and started their long trek across the desert.

"Momma, I can't see anything," Ganondorf said as he squinted through the blowing sand.

"Hold my hand and stay close. We just follow the flags." She wrapped a shawl around him to keep the sand out of his face as much as possible.

After walking in the desert for what seemed like hours they came across a little shelter with stairs leading up to a pedestal.

"There aren't any more flags, Momma," young Ganondorf stated.

"Shhh" Mahala whispered. She kneeled by the pedestal and whispered something as if saying a prayer. Ganondorf gasped. A ghostly figure appeared in front of them. It mouthed the words, "Follow me."

The two followed the apparition until they could see the outline of the Desert Colossus, a massive stone ruin built in the likeness of the Goddess of the Sand. Koume and Kotake lived away from the rest of the village inside the temple. It was supposedly the most sacred ground in the desert and rife with magical energy. The perfect place for Ganondorf to begin his training in magic.

"You're late!" they heard one of the witches say as they entered the temple. Koume and Kotake were strict teachers but they had their work cut out for them. They were both masters of arcane abilities. Koume was a master of fire, while Kotake was a master of ice.

Day after day, Mahala watched apprehensively as the witches attempted to teach the young boy the basics of casting. Try as he might, he couldn't focus his energy into a concentrated ball. Koume and Kotake had him practice the movements for hours.

"You're pushing him too hard!" Mahala cried.

"He's going to have to get used to it if he is going to rule the Gerudo," Kotake said casually.

Mahala bit her lip. However, she was rather surprised at the determination of her child. With each failed attempt, he would visibly get angry but would never give up, no matter how long it took.

However, Mahala and Ganondorf soon found out that the twins were as mean as they were old. Never would you hear a kind word out of them. Even if Ganondorf managed to do what they liked, they wouldn't settle for anything less than perfection. Mahala supposed she understood. If she had lived through everything that they have had, she would be grumpy too. She just didn't like how hard they worked Ganondorf.

Several days during the week, Mahala escorted Ganondorf to the temple so he could learn magic. When he was not practicing magic, Koume and Kotake had him buried in old scrolls, teaching him how to read and write, Gerudo history, the Hylian language, and rhetoric.

When he was big enough to wield a sword, Ganondorf was taught fighting techniques known to the Gerudo. They insisted that his trainer, a young Gerudo Warrior who had ranked the highest in her class that year, journey to the Spirit Temple to teach him. Most Gerudo children learned to fight at the Gerudo Training Grounds but Koume and Kotake did not want Ganondorf to be distracted by the other children. He had an expectation to be a cut above the rest.

A staple of the Gerudo Warrior is their skill with wielding duel swords. However, Ganondorf was also taught other techniques, such as hand to hand combat, archery and combat while on horseback. Horses were somewhat rare among the Gerudo, as they had to be stolen from Hyrule. Most of them were reserved for the most elite of fighters. While others rode the boars that were native to the desert.

Mahala wanted more than anything to spend more time with her son but she knew this was important for him. He still came home to her every night and for that she was grateful. There were things that the witches couldn't teach him after all.

"Mom, what's past the canyon that I see people going through sometimes?" he asked one day.

"That is the land of Hyrule. It's where we get our food, our clothing, metal to make weapons…pretty much everything."

"If it has all that, why don't we just live there?" he asked.

"We can't…There are other people living there already."

"Is there not enough room?"

Mahala laughed. "Well, that's not exactly the problem. The problem is we take things from them. They don't want us living there. We _steal_."

Ganondorf thought for a moment, "But if we lived there we could share couldn't we?"

Mahala laughed as she was amused by her son's innocence. "Yes, but it's complicated. We're not trusted," she replied.

Ganondorf paused. "Well when I'm king, I'm going to change that."

"I'm sure you will, sweetie."

"When do I get to go to Hyrule?"

"When you are 18 you'll…" Mahala stopped. She remembered that Ganondorf wouldn't need to go to Hyrule for the same reason that Gerudo women go to Hyrule.

"I'll do what?"

"Ahem…you'll get to see it one day."

On another day, as they were walking to the temple, Ganondorf asked his mother, "If I'm a prince, how come you're not a queen. During my study of the Hylian monarchy, it said that the mother of a prince is a queen! You should be queen of the Gerudo!"

"Well dear, Aurero is already queen of the Gerudo. Though, we don't call her that. She is just our leader. But you are king because you were born special! I have no relation to royalty."

"This is all so confusing!" he said, frustrated.

"Well look at it this way. Aurero is the leader because she is related to the last Gerudo king. So she is special because of her bloodline. But I am just a commoner whom the Goddess decided I should give birth to the next king! You are the first to have power in the Dragmires."

"I think I understand, but as prince, can I not order that my mother to be treated better than a commoner?" he asked.

Mahala laughed. "I'm glad that you think about me son, but I am okay. I take only what I need…"

They walked in silence for a little while until Ganondorf burst out. "It's not fair that the mother of a prince should be so poor! Koume and Kotake told me that the entire Hylian royal family have riches beyond imagination!"

"Perhaps that is true," Mahala said. "Maybe one day Hylians and Gerudos can work together and may share in that prosperity. But…living in the desert makes us stronger than them."

Ganondorf spent so much time training and learning how to lead the tribe, he never had time to play with children his own age. As he would make his way to the temple, he would watch enviously as young girls chased each other around the fortress, playing games he did not know the rules to.

"What do the other kids my age do?" he asked his mother.

"Well, they train as well, though not as strenuously," Mahala replied. "Every Gerudo knows the basics of fighting, so they're taught archery and swordplay, just as you are. If they work really hard, they'll become a Gerudo Warrior. They go on raids throughout Hyrule and get first pick of the stuff they steal. That's why they are dressed so nicely. The rest is sold to the commoners. Those who are good at fighting but didn't quite make the cut to be warriors become the guards that guard our fortress from any outside threats. The rest of us are given jobs related to our skills, rather it be blacksmith, architect, tailor, servant…farmer."

Ganondorf thought for a moment. "You have to be pretty skilled to handle the boars!" he said. "They are so very strong and dangerous." Mahala's job was raising the boars, one of the only natural food sources that the Gerudo had. She also tamed some of them so they could be ridden as a mount. Ganondorf was fascinated with the boars. Once they got riled up, they could charge through anything.

Mahala smiled lovingly at her son. "You do have to have great control over them," she replied. "They may be powerful, but when they charge they won't stop until they run into something and knock themselves out."

"Do you think I'll be stronger than them one day?" Ganondorf asked.

"Possibly," Mahala stated. "But hopefully you'll be wiser!" she laughed and hugged him close.

Ganondorf laughed as well. "I love you, Momma," he said.

Mahala beamed at him. "I love you too."

Mahala was glad that her son wasn't ashamed of her. Becoming a skilled fighter was valued highly among the Gerudo, but Ganondorf admired her anyway. This was surprising to her, especially since he was expected to be the best fighter out of all the Gerudo. He worked harder in his childhood than most adults did throughout their lives. He didn't have time for anyone else, except what little time he made for his mother. Despite all this, nothing could put a dent in Ganondorf's determination. He knew he was different from the other children. Although, he secretly wished he could grow up the way they did, he accepted that he was different and knew that in order for the Gerudo to survive, he had to lead them.

 **Exposition, exposition... I realize nothing really happens in this chapter, so the next one will be out soon, hopefully.**


	3. Chapter 3 The Wind

**Thanks to everyone who's reviewed the story so far! It's good to know that people have been enjoying it!**

A terrible wind blew across the desert that day. Mothers were hurrying their daughters who were out playing to get inside the fortress. Ganondorf, who was now twelve, was making his way to the Desert Colossus from the fortress. He started making these journeys on his own so that his mother would have time to do her work. Today, however, his mother insisted on going with him.

"I'll be fine," he reassured her. Koume and Kotake would always give him a stern look when he showed up accompanied by his mother.

"You're nearly a man!" they would say. "You need to learn to cross the desert on your own!"

His mother wouldn't take "no" for an answer. "I'll leave before they see you!" she said.

"That's not the point!" he replied. "I can do this on my own!"

"Ganondorf!" she said in a stern voice. "With this wind it's going to be difficult to see the flags but I've memorized the way."

Ganondorf sighed. "Fine," he said, reluctantly.

The journey to the temple was a long and arduous one. Sand stung their eyes as they made their way across the desert. They took a small break once they reached the shelter where the ghost of the wasteland rest. Once the wind died down a bit, they continued until they made it to the temple.

Mahala said her goodbyes and left Ganondorf to his training. Of course, Koume and Kotake made him run several laps for being late. Kebeira, his training instructor, arrived even later than he did. Although the witches had no power to punish her, they did chastise her until they were blue in the face.

"Miserable old hags," Kebeira said under her breath when they were out of earshot. Ganondorf laughed and they both had a bit of fun insulting them behind their backs while practicing sparring.

"It must be nice to just be able to teleport around," Kebeira said, as she blocked one of Ganondorf's swings with his wooden sword. Ganondorf laughed again.

"I wonder if they've always been able to do that?" he asked.

"I don't know," Kebeira replied. "Too slow! You need to break through my defenses!" she said as she blocked one of Ganondorf's oncoming attacks.

"Oh yeah…" Ganondorf said. "How about…that!" He took a swing but she blocked it.

She chuckled. "Don't announce when you're going to strike!" she said with a smile.

"Hmm…" Ganondorf said with his brow furrowed. "They've probably never traveled across the desert on foot. Even if they couldn't teleport, they can always fly across the desert on their brooms."

"That's true," Kebeira said. "Tch! I wish the wind would blow them away…Hey!" She had failed to block Ganondorf's attack, as he managed to swipe one of her training swords out of her hands. "You distracted me on purpose!"

Ganondorf smirked. "It worked, didn't it?"

Kebeira stared at him for a moment and then smiled back. "Good work, your majesty," she said. "But you can't always rely on distractions."

"Alright then. Let's go again. No talking this time," he said. They sparred until Koume and Kotake made them stop. To their surprise, they let them leave earlier than usual today.

"Get going before the sun goes down!" Koume said. "Or you two oafs will never find your way out of the desert!"

Both Ganondorf and Kebeira rolled their eyes. "Let me escort you home, your majesty," Kebeira said. Normally, she left long before he did, while he finished up his other studies. However, it seemed that Koume and Kotake were letting them go early because the wind was picking up.

"I didn't think they were capable of doing something _considerate_ ," Kebeira said on their way back.

Ganondorf shrugged. "Even if they are meaner than snakes, they wouldn't want their king to get lost in the desert," he said.

The wind was picking up more speed as they trekked across the haunted wasteland. Eventually it was blowing so hard, despite wearing a head wrap, it was hard to keep the sand out of his mouth and eyes. He began coughing. It was impossible to see where he was going at this point. They were caught in the middle of a sandstorm!

"Kebeira!" he spluttered, coughing out sand. "Where are you?!" He looked around but she was nowhere to be seen. As thick as the sand was in the air, she could have been a few feet away from him and he wouldn't know it. However, she didn't reply when he called. If he could just get to the pedestal where the ghost of the wasteland was, he could wait out the storm in the shelter below.

However, his coughing was getting worse. He couldn't breathe. He was beginning to lose consciousness. Everything went black around him and he fell to the ground.

"Your majesty! Wake up!"

Ganondorf opened his eyes to see Kebeira above him. He tried to speak but it just came out as a cough.

"Your majesty? Are you alright?" Kebeira asked. He saw that she too, was covered in sand. He looked around and saw they were in the little shelter he was trying to get to.

"W-what what happened?" he asked.

"The storm got pretty bad, sir. I thought I lost you there for a moment. You passed out in the sand."

"How did we get here?" he asked.

"The Ghost appeared just in the nick of time. I carried you and followed her lantern here."

"I thought the ghost only appeared here," Ganondorf said.

"Well, it is a spirit, perhaps it knew we were in trouble and came to help us," Kebeira replied. Ganondorf got to his feet and brushed himself off. "I think it's died off now," Kebeira said. "Let's go look." They climbed up the ladder leading outside of the little underground shelter. Dusk had fallen on the desert. The wind was still blowing, creating ripples in the sand that snaked across the desert, but the air was relatively clear. It was quite a beautiful sight. You would have never guessed that the land was an inhospitable nightmare just moments ago.

"How long was out?!" Ganondorf asked, watching the sun set. "Mother's gonna wonder where I am if I'm not home soon!"

They took off running toward the flags that led to Gerudo Fortress. Once there, Ganondorf ran into the fortress yelling, "Mother! I'm back! Don't worry about me, I'm fine!" However, his voice echoed into an empty room. "Mother?" he said. He looked back a Kebeira who shrugged. "She's probably out back with the boars," he said.

He left the fortress and went around to the back where the pigs and horses were kept, but Mahala was nowhere to be seen.

"Your majesty! There you are!" A guard was running toward him. She stopped before him catching her breath.

"Where's Mahala?" Ganondorf asked the guard.

"Y-your mother went out there…looking for you…when she heard a storm was coming," the guard panted. "W-we were all afraid we lost our king! Thank the Goddess you're alive!"

"Wait…You mean she's out _there_!" Ganondorf said frantically. His mind was swimming. If she went looking for him and hasn't come back by now… He started hyperventilating as panic set in. Without another thought, he took off running toward the fortress gate.

"Wait! Your majesty!" the guard yelled to him. "You can't go out there at night!" Ganondorf ignored her, but already he could feel the frigid gale piercing his face. The temperature was dropping dramatically as it did every night in the desert. "Catch him!" the guard yelled to alert other guards as she ran after him.

He could hear them behind him but they would never catch him. Already, he could outrun most full grown Gerudo. Or at least, that's what he thought. Suddenly, he was knocked to the ground. Kebeira had tackled him and was holding him down. She was probably the only one athletic enough to catch him.

"LET GO OF ME!" Ganondorf screamed. Even at the young age of twelve, Ganondorf could easily throw her off of himself, but her tackle gave the guards enough time to catch up and pin him to the ground as well. One of the guards signaled for the gate to be closed.

"NO!" Ganondorf yelled as he watched it fall to the ground with a thud. "Y-you can't do this me! I'M THE PRINCE!"

"Sire! You must see reason!" Kebeira yelled through his ranting. "You'll die if you go out there!"

"I-I can't leave my mother out there to die!" Ganondorf yelled.

"You'll never find her in the dark!" Kebeira replied. "Please listen to me!"

"Sir! We'll send out a search party first thing in the morning!" the guard said. "But we can't let you do this, sir! It's for your own safety!"

"I DON'T CARE ABOUT MY SAFETY!" Ganondorf screamed. "OPEN THE GATE NOW!"

"Your majesty, it won't do Mahala any good if you both die out there!" Kebeira yelled. The guards were no longer pinning him down, but Ganondorf continued to wail, grabbing and pulling at his own hair. The guards continued to look on, not knowing what else to do. Eventually, his wail turned into a sob.

"Come on sir, let's get you home," Kebeira said softly. She reached down to grab his arm but Ganondorf forcefully pulled away from her grasp. She kneeled down beside him. "Maybe she found shelter, Your Highness," she whispered. "But if not…how would she feel if her son recklessly threw his life away, after she sacrificed everything to protect him?"

Ganondorf stopped sobbing and stared solemnly at the ground. "Fine, let's go," he said, finally.

The guards returned to their posts as they made their way back to the fortress. Kebeira eyed Ganondorf nervously. "Do you live with anyone else?" she asked.

"No," he said.

"I know I should know this, but who is your grandmother?" she asked. "I could take you to her-"

Ganondorf cut her off. "I don't have one," he said.

"Oh. Well do you have an aunt?" Kebeira asked. Ganondorf shook his head.

"You have no living relatives?" Kebeira asked, tentatively. Ganondorf shook his head again. He never knew his mother's family or what happened to them. He just realized he knew so very little about his mother's life and now he would never get to ask her…His eyes welled up with tears.

Kebeira looked at him sadly. She looked as though she was thinking really hard about something. She bit her lip.

"You can stay with me tonight," she said.

Ganondorf didn't say anything but nodded. He did not want to stay in his mother's house…not without her. He followed Kebiera to her room in the fortress.

"Mom! There you are!" said a voice. Two young girls appeared in the doorway, one that looked close to Ganondorf's age and another one that looked no older than three. They must have been Kebeira's daughters. "I almost thought-!" The older one who was talking stopped when she saw Ganondorf. The girl looked at him as though she had never see anything like him, in fact, she probably hadn't. Ganondorf averted his eyes.

"I'm sorry I'm late, girls," Kebeira said, giving them both a quick hug. The older girl continued to stare at Ganondorf.

"What's wrong with the prince?" she asked her mother. So she did know who he was.

"Young lady! Don't talk about him as though he's not here!" Perhaps the young girl looked as though she was going to ask Ganondorf what was wrong herself because Kebeira quickly said, "The prince is going to stay with us tonight and I don't want you pestering him with your questions!"

"But mom-"

"Now it's time for bed! I don't want to hear another peep out of either of you!" She shooed the girls to bed and set up a makeshift bed for Ganondorf on the other side of the room. Ganondorf might have thought it was weird to see Kebeira in a motherly role as he only knew her as a warrior and his trainer. The thought was only a drop into the ocean that felt like his mind right now, though. He felt so numb, it was as though Kebeira could sprout another head before him and he wouldn't bat an eye.

"It's not much, your highness," she said, when she had finished gathering all the extra pillows and blankets they had and piling them into a corner for him to sleep on.

"No, it's perfect," he said. He wasn't sure what he should do now. Should he just disrobe in front of Kebeira's family or just sleep in his sandy clothes? At this moment, he didn't care either way, but he had a feeling Kebeira did.

Kebeira seemed to be thinking the same thing as she looked nervously at him. She then extinguished the torch on the wall so that the room went completely black. Ganondorf took the opportunity to peel the sandy clothes from his body and climb into the bundle of blankets. From the other side of the room, he could hear Kebeira do the same.

He turned away from her and faced the wall before his eyes got acclimated to the dark. He didn't know how long he lay like that before he fell asleep. All he could do was silently pray to the Goddess of the Sand that his mother found shelter. He prayed for the Goddess to save her. When he finally did go to sleep, he was plagued by nightmares. He watched his mother become buried alive in the desert sand, while screaming for him to save her.


	4. Chapter 4 A Promise

Ganondorf awoke before Kebeira and her family. He quickly put on his clothes and left the fortress without a word. The sun had barely risen as he looked toward the fortress gate. He took a quick detour to his mother's room just in smallest of chance that she had come home during the night and was there waiting for him. As he thought, the room was still empty. It pained him to be there too long so he left and headed for the fortress gate.

"Guards!" he yelled. The guards at the gate looked sleepy but stood at attention. "Gather the others!" he yelled.

"Yes, sir!" they saluted him and hurried off to gather a party to search for Mahala. Before the guards opened the gate, someone came storming out of the fortress toward them.

"Guards! Why aren't you at your post?!" It was Aurero.

"My Lady!" one of the guards said. "The prince is gathering a search party. Mahala has gone missing in the desert since yesterday!"

"Then she's dead! Why are you wasting your time!?" Aurero said angrily.

Ganondorf clenched his fist. He would have punched Aurero if it hadn't been for Kebeira showing up at that moment.

"Aurero! Gather the warriors! Mahala's gone miss-!" she stopped when she saw Ganondorf with his fists clenched staring hatefully at Aurero. "-ing," she finished.

"I heard," Aurero said. "I did not authorize this search party! It's a waste of time!"

"I don't care what you authorize! I'm the prince!" Ganondorf yelled at her.

Aurero chuckled. "Indeed you are, your majesty. But have you forgotten, that _I_ am the leader of this tribe!"

Ganondorf glared at her. He knew that she loved to dangle what little power she had over him while she could.

"Get back to your posts!" she yelled to the guards.

"Wait!" Kebeira yelled at them as they began to disband.

"But miss, Lady Aurero is right, she is higher than Prince Ganondorf on the chain of command," a guard said to her.

"Don't do it because you're ordered to! Do it because it's the right thing to do!" she said, imploringly.

"Kebeira! What is this insubordination?! I should have you stripped of your rank!" Aurero yelled.

"Why are you doing this, Aurero?" she said. "One of our own is out there! Do you not care about your people?!"

There was silence for a moment as Kebeira and Aurero stared at each other. Whispering could be heard going through the on looking crowd of guards at this statement. Aurero seemed at a loss for words. "Very well," she said, finally. "But you must realize, your majesty, that you are leaving the fortress unguarded!"

Ganondorf ignored her and went through the gate, motioning for the guards to follow him. The sun shone bright in the sky that day. The heat was nearly unbearable. Ganondorf retraced his steps, hoping that is mother had headed toward the temple when looking for him. However, there was no sign of her. He checked the shelter that he waited out the storm in. Perhaps, she found it during the night after he left it, but the shelter was empty.

The ghost of the wasteland appeared to lead them to the temple. "Have you seen a woman come by here recently?" Ganondorf asked it.

"Follow me," the ghost replied. "I will show you the way there but not the way back." This is what it usually said, but Ganondorf followed.

When they reached the temple, Ganondorf asked, "Did she come this way?"

"It is my job to lead those to the sacred ground," it replied.

"Yes but did you lead a woman here between yesterday and today?" Ganondorf asked, impatiently.

"Yesterday, today, tomorrow…it is all the same," the ghost replied. "When you're dead you have no need for time."

Ganondorf was getting angry. "So can you tell me whether you've seen anyone other than me and Kebeira between yesterday and today?" he said slowly.

"I see many who wander this desert, whether they are from the past or the future, I cannot say…" the ghost said cryptically.

"Tch! Be gone with you then!" Ganondorf said angrily, waving his hand to shoo the ghost. The ghost disappeared with a chuckle.

Ganondorf entered the temple, hoping that his mother would be waiting there for him, but again, no luck. Koume and Kotake appeared out of thin air, ready to chastise him for not showing up in time for training but before they could, Kebeira explained the situation to them. Ganondorf had never seen those two at a loss for words but they just floated there silently after hearing the news.

Ganondorf suddenly had an idea. "You can use your magic to find her!" he said. He remembered that his mother often thought Koume and Kotake spied on them.

"What?!" Koume said.

"Our magic doesn't work that way," Kotake added.

"B-but you always know when I arrive at the temple, even when you aren't in this room," Ganondorf said.

"We can look at people from afar but we have to have a known location!" Kotake said.

"Of course we're going to keep our eye on the entrance to the temple!" Koume added.

"Then you would have seen her enter the temple," Ganondorf said with a sigh. There went the possibility that she may have entered the temple for shelter without them noticing.

Kebeira put her hand on his shoulder. "I'm sorry, your majesty" she said.

"Well we can't give up now!" he said. He turned to leave.

"Wait!" Koume and Kotake said together.

"As the king's traditional mentors, we have been assigned to watch over the king in every capacity." Kotake said.

"Which means?" Ganondorf asked, slowly.

"With your mother gone, we are your new guardians," Koume replied.

"My mother's not gone!" Ganondorf yelled.

"I see, your highness," Kotake said skeptically. "Well, what Koume means to say, _if_ your mother is not here to care for you, then the responsibility falls to us to look after you."

Ganondorf said nothing for a moment. "I will find her," he said finally.

"Until then," Koume said. "This temple is your home."

They both bowed and then disappeared in a puff of smoke.

"Well, at least I won't have to burden you again," he said to Kebeira.

The search continued until the sun went down but the guards turned up nothing. Ganondorf slept in the temple that night. It was very strange to have so much room to himself. In the fortress, a family usually only had one room they must share, unless they were nobility like Aurero. The furniture was old and dusty, but Koume and Kotake promised that they would acquire newer and grander furniture for their king. Ganondorf could care less about furniture. He only wanted his mother back.

For three more days they searched for Mahala. By that time, the guards were starting to get burnt out. Ganondorf could tell that they lost hope that she could ever be found. Aurero was also throwing a fit because the fortress had been unprotected so long.

The Haunted Wasteland was massive. On top of that, there were no natural landmarks so it was easy to get disoriented. Whenever someone got lost, they were hardly ever found. It was either because they wandered so far away, as the guards couldn't possibly cover all the ground in the desert or their corpse became buried underneath the shifting sand. Ganondorf tried not to think about his mother being right under his feet without him knowing it.

At the end of the third day, Kebeira approached him. "Your majesty, I need to talk to you." He looked up at her. "Well," she continued. "I've been teaching you swordplay for a long time now and…I know how determined you can get about something."

"Is that a bad thing?" Ganondorf asked.

"No! It's a great thing! But I know that you never give up…" Kebeira looked at him sadly. "Look, it's just that…you can't keep looking for Mahala forever…you'll go mad!"

"So, you're saying I should give up on her?!" Ganondorf asked angrily.

"No! I mean…not give up on her…but the guards are going to have to continue their jobs and you're going to have to continue your training…and I'm going to have to continue training you," she said.

Ganondorf's eyes stung with tears. He closed them tight. He didn't want to show any more weakness in front of Kebeira.

"Look, I know it's tough," she said. "But you're just going to have to let her go."

"You don't know anything!" Ganondorf yelled. "Do _you_ know how it feels to not know if your mother is alive or dead?! Do _you_ know how it feels to wonder if you could have saved her! Do _you_ know how it feels to know that everything you've ever known is going to change?! No you don't! And maybe I wouldn't either, if you had just let me go! But it's because of _you_ she's never coming back!"

Kebeira seemed taken aback by his sudden outburst. It looked almost like she was holding back tears. "Forgive me, your majesty," she said. And with a tiny bow that was just a curt nod of the head, she left.

Ganondorf was left alone to weep. Later, he felt bad for the way he had spoken to Kebeira. She had shown him kindness by letting him stay in her home, taking up for him against Aurero, and helping him search for Mahala. Ganondorf couldn't be bothered to apologize for his behavior, however. He just didn't care enough. He didn't care about anything.

When Kebeira returned to the temple to train him, she spoke very little to him. No longer did they jokingly make fun of Koume and Kotake behind their backs. Kebeira remained very stoic and only talked about his training.

Ganondorf did call off the search, although it pained him very much to do so. He didn't want to believe his mother was dead, but if she was not at the temple, the fortress, or the little shelter in between, he saw little hope for her. The desert went on for miles without any water. The temple lie next to an oasis, but if his mother made it there, she would have stayed in the temple. Perhaps she found something beyond the desert, he thought hopefully, though no one has ever done that before. The only way to Hyrule was through the canyon. Most Gerudo believed the desert went on endlessly in the other direction.

A memorial service was held for Mahala. Whenever someone was lost to the desert each Gerudo gathered outside at night with lanterns in their hands and prayed to the Goddess of the Sand that the lost one would find their way home. It was symbolic more than anything, since there was doubt in everyone's mind that anyone could survive alone in the desert for more than a day.

Ganondorf had seen death before. He had seen his people die of sickness, of starvation, of thirst, of childbirth, and his mother was not the first one to become lost in the desert. However, he never before understood it. It always seemed so far away, even if it was right next to him. His young, naïve mind would tell him it couldn't happen to him, or to those he loved. But now he understood. He understood the pain.

He was asked to say something at the memorial service. This was certainly not where he expected he would first formally address his subjects but he felt he had to. He cleared his throat and addressed the crowd. "My mother…was a proud Gerudo that believed that living in the desert makes us strong. Yet, though she shapes us into hardened warriors, the desert is cruel and can take all that away at any given moment. I promise to you that we will see a time where no longer do we have to suffer, no longer do we have to feel the pain of seeing our sisters, our aunts, our grandmothers, or…our mothers die. No longer will we live in fear of our own home!" Clapping could be heard among the crowd, but mostly Ganondorf was greeted solemn faces.

The next day, Ganondorf visited his mother's home one last time to pack up his things so he could permanently move into the temple.

"That was quite a speech, sir." Ganondorf looked up and saw Kebeira standing in the doorway. Ganondorf said nothing but continued packing. "Are you leaving?" she asked.

"Yes. I've thought about what you said…"

"Sir, I…" she began, apologetically.

"No, you were right. I have to let her go. I'm going to focus only on my training now," Ganondorf said. "Being a good king for my people… it's all I have left to work for."

"Well, it's good to see you still have your determination," Kebeira said. Ganondorf couldn't even muster a weak smile in reply. He simply walked past her to make his way back through the desert to the temple which was now his home.


	5. Chapter 5 Gerudo Spirit

**Sorry it's been so long since I've updated. I've been very busy with school. Some of the earlier chapters I've changed. I've not changed this one that much from the original but I still had to make sure it fit with the previous changes.**

"Again!"

Ganondorf sighed. He focused his energy and an orb of light materialized in his hand. He then released it as it went ricocheting off the wall, missing its target.

"Again!" the witches.

"Oh come on! We've been at it for hours!" Ganondorf said exasperated.

"You usually aren't satisfied until you reach perfection. Why do you want to stop now?" Kotake asked.

"Rebellious! It's the boy's age! He's been in a funk for months!" Koume piped up.

"I'm just sick and tired of this!" Ganondorf yelled, frustrated. "I'm ready to be out there! Doing something!"

"Like I said," Koume started again. "He's at that age where he thinks he knows everything and he can change the world!"

"Don't talk about me like I'm not here!" Ganondorf said. "I'm just tired of being in this temple. It's been four years! And I haven't been anywhere else!"

"You were the one that said you wanted to focus on your training," Kotake said.

"I know," Ganondorf replied. "And I have focused on it. But maybe now it's time to focus on my people."

"You're training is not completed yet!" Koume yelled.

"I'm not saying I should stop," Ganondorf said. "But I'm going to be crowned king in less than two years. Fighting is important but I need to know about our politics. I need to know what is going on in the world and I'm not going to find it in a temple in the middle of nowhere!"

"Why you ungrateful, little—" Koume began.

"Let him go, Kotake," Kotake interjected.

"But—"

"If our future king thinks he needs to leave, then let him leave." Kotake said calmly.

"What is the meaning of this, Kotake?!"

"He's headstrong! There's no point in changing his mind!"

"He's headstrong because _you_ let him get away with everything, Kotake!"

"I do not! Who insisted on letting him you the statue of King Gunoarm as target practice?!"

"It's not good for anything anymore!"

The witches didn't notice Ganondorf had already slipped out of their sight. "I'll see you guys in a few days!" he called from the entrance but they were not paying any attention. Ganondorf made his way across the wasteland for the first time in years. Eventually he saw the familiar outline of the Gerudo fortress.

The Gerudo atop the watch tower squinted down at him. "Who goes there?!" she called.

"Ganondorf! Prince of the Gerudo!" he called back.

"Oh!" she gasped. "I'm sorry, your Highness! I didn't recognize you!" She lifted the gate so he could come in.

"Thank you!" He smiled at her. She gave a weak smile back and blushed. She appeared embarrassed by her mistake.

The fortress was busier than Ganondorf remembered. A marketplace had been set up in the village square where Gerudo were trading various things they had stolen from Hyrule. The marketplace was populated. There were children running around that were born after he had left. Also, never before had he noticed the abundance of beautiful young women. He had never paid much attention to the other Gerudo that were his age last time he was here but now…he couldn't keep his eyes off of them.

And they couldn't keep their eyes off him. Many of them giggled as he approached and bowed. "Your highness," they would say. Then they would giggle some more and run off. Ganondorf realized they probably don't see males that often except for the occasional Hylian prisoner that wanders into their fortress. They were too young to be allowed to visit Hyrule themselves.

Perhaps he would say something to them later, Ganondorf thought. However, there was a reason he came to the fortress other than to fraternize. He promised himself that he would learn more about leading his people. He didn't think learning all the names of the ancient Gerudo kings or about the Hylian monarchy was going to help him much. He made his way to the section of the fortress dedicated to House Duzetan. There were two guards out front. "Your highness!" they stated as he approached. "Do you have business with Lady Aurero?"

"Um…yes, actually," Ganondorf said. "May I speak with her?"

The two guards looked at each other nervously. "This way, you highness." They led him to a dimly lit room where a number of Gerudo warriors were standing around a table, scimitars glistening on their belts. Among them Lady Aurero was pointing to a map, "Here and…here would be the most vulnerable places to strike. There are a lot of supplies around here, but I'm sure it will be heavily guarded." She looked up from the table as the two guards entered with Ganondorf.

"Ah, the young prince. Back from his, ahem, _long_ pilgrimage to the temple I see." There was some laughter from the room. "What can I do for you, your highness?" She sank into an exaggerated bow as the room filled with more laughter.

Ganondorf cleared his throat. "Your Grace," he started. Might as well keep her happy, he thought. "I came here to learn more about being the future leader of the Gerudo…I'm sure a great leader such as yourself has much to pass on," he added.

Aurero paused for a moment. "Well your highness, we are planning a raid on Hyrule at the moment. Any Gerudo worth her salt, excuse me, _his_ salt, would know that we make our living through raids." She paused again and took a good look at him. "You are too young to go on a raid so there is no point discussing this further with you."

"But—"

"Please leave me."

"Please, if you would just—"

"Guards!" She yelled.

"I'm sorry, your highness," the guards said apologetically as they escorted him from the room. Aurero shot them a dirty look for showing sympathy to the prince and then returned to her map.

The guards led him outside then stood at the door. "I'm sorry your highness, but we can't let you back in there."

"Why won't she listen?!" he said angrily. The guards remained silent. Ganondorf walked away from the entrance, fuming, until he heard a voice above him.

"She kicked you out, huh?" Ganondorf looked up to see a young Gerudo woman sitting on the roof of the fortress, eating an apple. "Look, you're never going to get in that way," she said.

"Huh?" Ganondorf asked. "What are you talking about?"

"Are you really as dumb as you look? I'm talking about sneaking in! The only way you're going to hear Aurero's super secret plans is to _spy_ on her!"

Ganondorf looked perplexedly at the woman. "Who are you to talk to me like that?!"

The woman jumped down from the roof and landed cat-like on her feet. "The name's Nabooru. No need to ask yours, being the only Gerudo male and all."

Ganondorf stood staring at the woman, mouth agape. No one has ever spoken to him like that before. He wasn't sure if he should feel angry or impressed. "W-why do you not bow to me?" he asked.

She snorted, took one last bite of her apple and threw it aside without a second thought. "You're not the king _yet_ , you know," she said. "Anyway, do want to hear what Lady Crazy-Pants has to say or not?"

Ganondorf was still staring at Nabooru as though he's never seen anything quite like her. "Hello? Earth to future Gerudo King," she said.

Ganondorf was brought back. "Why? Do you know a way in?"

Nabooru snorted again. "Please I am a Gerudo _thief_. We _always_ know another way in." She winked at him. "Follow me," she said, and jumped back up on the roof. Ganondorf looked around for a foothold as he didn't think he could jump as high as Nabooru. He found a crate to stand on to help him hoist himself on the roof. "Hurry up!" Nabooru hissed. She then began jumping stealthily across the rooftops. Ganondorf followed clumsily behind her. He cursed under his breath as he tried to keep up. Fighting and magic was what the witches insisted on teaching them. They never taught him _actual thieving_ , he thought.

Ganondorf caught up with Nabooru. "You've done this before?" he asked, panting.

"Plenty of times," she replied.

"Why?"

"It's fun," she said. "Plus it's good practice because House Duzetan is _heavily_ guarded." She laughed.

Ganondorf gulped. He sure didn't think it would look good if Aurero were to find him sneaking around her house. "Um, I'm sure you already know this but I've never done anything like this before. Maybe I shouldn't—"

"Oh _please_ ," Nabooru replied. "You are the Gerudo Prince! What are they going to do to you? Throw you in prison? Those guards looked like they were about to wet their pants escorting you out. Aurero may be above you in the line of command but you've got the people on your side."

"Really?" Ganondorf asked.

Nabooru shushed him. She led him over to a window. Inside he could see Gerudo guards patrolling a living area. Nabooru slid silently inside and jumped to the rafters. She motioned for him to follow.

"I don't think this a good idea," he whispered. Nabooru gave him a look and continued to motion. Ganondorf bit his lip and jumped to the nearest rafter. "Whew" he gasped when he had made it safely. The guards below appeared not to notice them. Nabooru hopped gracefully from rafter to rafter to the balcony on the other side. Ganondorf held his breath and followed after her. On the last rafter his foot slipped. He managed to grab the rafter before falling to the floor below. Luckily the guards seemed to be distracted by a joke one of them told the other. Nabooru rolled her eyes and hopped over to his rafter. She grabbed his hand and helped him back up so that they were both standing on the rafter. Ganondorf was very aware of how close he was to her. He blushed, hoping Nabooru would think that he looked shaken because he nearly fell to the floor below and not because he was standing an inch away from her.

Nabooru then jumped over to the balcony and Ganondorf followed. She then led him down a corridor and through another passage. "Shhh over here," she whispered. She grabbed him and pulled him behind a crate. Ganondorf could hear voices. They must be near the war room that he was kicked out of earlier.

"Aurero, how come we are avoiding Kakariko village? That has always been an excellent target for us before. Not as much there, but far from the prying Hyrule Castletown soldiers."

"Silence! Who is calling the shots here?"

"You are ma'am."

"That's right. And to answer your question, there is a rumor on the wind that the Sheikah are becoming tired of being slaves to the royal family."

"The…Sheikah?"

"Residents of Kakariko village! I would rather them be our ally than our enemy if things get…ugly."

"What do you mean?"

"I mean war! A war could be our chance to take everything the Hylians have got!"

"Yes, m'lady."

"So prepare the soldiers to raid the ranch. Plenty of milk there, though not much in the way of potions. It would be wonderful to get some more horses, though. See that it's done!"

"Yes, ma'am!"

"You are dismissed ladies."

There was the sound of low chatter and the rumbling of footsteps as the Gerudo warriors made their way out of the room. Ganondorf felt a tug on his sleeve. Nabooru was pointing to an open window. Ganondorf and Nabooru sprinted over to the window. Ganondorf perched himself on the window sill and saw that from the outside, the window was too high up to climb through but he might be able to jump down without getting hurt. He lowered himself out of the window and then dropped the rest of the way. Nabooru was now perched on the window sill. "Come on jump!" Ganondorf yelled. "I'll catch you". Nabooru gave him a look as if to say, "I can do this myself." But she jumped nonetheless.

Ganondorf caught her but fell backwards under her weight. Nabooru quickly steadied herself. "Get off me!" she hissed.

"Hey I was just trying to help," Ganondorf said slyly. "And _you_ were the one on top of _me._ "

Nabooru looked as if she was about to say something but at that moment a guard walked past, giving them a quizzical look. Nabooru blushed and cleared her throat. "Here," she extended her hand to help him up. "Not bad for your first time…not good either, but not bad." The guard gave them an even more puzzling look. "Ugh, can we go somewhere else?" she asked Ganondorf.

She led him to a small alley between the fortress and the canyon. "Ok, yeah, I'm not very sneaky," Ganondorf said bashfully.

Nabooru snorted. "Clearly."

"But I bet I can take you on in a sword fight," Ganondorf said, attempting to reassert his masculinity.

"Ha! I'll take that bet!" Nabooru laughed. Then she got serious. "So, war may be coming. And, chances are, _you_ are going to be the one leading us through it."

"Yeah," Ganondorf said thoughtfully. "Who are the Sheikah? The Hylians have _slaves_?"

"By the Goddess, did those witches teach you _nothing_?"

"Well, I learned a lot about the Hylian royal family. They believe in _three_ goddesses. And every daughter they have is named Zelda. How confusing is _that_?!"

Nabooru giggled. "Alright meathead. The Sheikah are a tribe of shadow folk. Very secretive bunch, which is probably why you've never heard about them. And they aren't _slaves_. That was just Aurero being dramatic. They are chosen by their gods to be servants and protectors of the royal family or something like that. Although now, it sounds like some of them think they deserve a bit more for their work."

Ganondorf snorted. "Servants and protectors? Why does the royal family rely on another tribe to protect them? Sounds like slavery to me."

Nabooru gave him a strange look. "So you agree with Aurero?"

"All I'm saying, is it sounds like the royal family is using this 'chosen by the gods' thing to control another race of people."

"Perhaps," Nabooru replied. "Not that it's any of our business."

Ganondorf composed himself. "Ahem, so how do _you_ know so much? Listening in on Aurero's meetings?"

"Well," Nabooru gave him a sly smile. "Partly."

Ganondorf gave her a confused look. "And the other part would be-?"

Nabooru bit her lip and smiled. "Well…I've been to Hyrule."

Ganondorf started. "What?! How old are you?! You can't be older than me!"

Nabooru giggled some more. "I'm not."

"Then how-?"

"I snuck out," Nabooru said coolly.

Ganondorf stood in disbelief for a moment. "Ha ha, funny, you got me. But there's no way. You would have to cross the canyon and there is only one bridge across."

"I can show you, if you like," Nabooru said. "Meet me here tomorrow morning."

"I don't know—I mean that's a pretty strict rule from what I can—"

Nabooru scoffed. "What is _with_ you? I get you want to keep up appearances. But you're a _prince_. You should be able to do whatever you want, right? Unless you're a cucco!"

"What!? Hey, I'm no cucco!" Ganondorf said as Nabooru made clucking noises at him.

"Prove it, mighty Gerudo King!" Nabooru teased.

"Fine! I'll be here!" Ganondorf said.

"Good," Nabooru said with a smile. "I'll see you at sunrise. I've got to go. My mom will wonder where I am." Nabooru took off.

"Hey wait-!" Ganondorf yelled after her.

"See you tomorrow!" she yelled back.

Ganondorf stared after her for a moment before setting up a tent to sleep in. He briefly thought back to when he was a child and watched other children his age play while he was busy with all his training. How he wanted to badly to make friends with other Gerudo his age. He was no longer a child. Yet, he found himself wanting to spend more time with Nabooru. She was different than other Gerudo. She wasn't afraid of him, which strangely enough, made him want to see her again.


End file.
